As The Sun Sets
by reverseharemhime
Summary: Our favorite sensei looks back on life while Naruto is away. Insight into Iruka's life both physically and mentally. [Just little oneshots rating for future chapters]
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hello Everyone! Its Reverseharemhime here! This is my first official fan fic on this site. So be nice, please. All reviews are welcome. Even if you hate it. You can be as honest as you like. Love to you all for reading!

Iruka sat there at his desk, grading papers as always. It was always this time of day that a hint of sadness gripped the teacher's heart. The courtyard was filled with the fading echoes of growing children and aspiring ninja. He could distantly hear the faint thud of a kunai hitting a tree. It was probably Rei and Ayame, a pair of paternal twins that wouldn't stop training until the sun had gone well down past the horizon. The two were determined to become shinobi like their heroes, which surprisingly were among his former students. Ayame wanted to be like Sakura and Ino, two young women who were quickly becoming brilliant kuinoichi that Iruka was proud of. While Rei held many of the famous "Rookie Nine" in high esteem. Especially Naruto.

Ah. Naruto. The hint of sadness returned to Iruka's heart. It had been nearly a year since he had seen the orange bundle of energy. As the golden rays of the sinking sun reached into the classroom over the now glittering rooftops of Konoha, Iruka remembered why it was this time of day that brought such pain. It was usually this point that Naruto would come and beg for ramen after a hard day of training with his team. Though, the rogue would usually wait for Iruka to finish his work. It had always baffled the tan-skinned chuunin. All of Konoha knew Naruto for his obnoxiousness and high energy, but at this moment, when everyone was going home to their families after work, or returning from reporting their last mission, Naruto would come back to his classroom, and sit there in his old seat, waiting, however impatiently. But still…

There had never been any doubt in Iruka's mind that the two were family. If there was one thing that Iruka could count on the devious genin for it would undoubtedly be his ability to maintain the connection that Iruka had worked so hard to build with the village outcast. That and the insatiable need for ramen.

Iruka cleared his throat and blinked away a tear that threatened to form in the corner of his eye. It was time to go towards the mission room and file away all the reports that had probably piled up on his desk during the day. The doors of the Academy slide open and shut as Iruka made his way outside. The sight that met his eyes made his heart fill with pride, if that was even possible…it was quite full already. Two young hopefuls, practicing in the same spot that many great and powerful shinobi had trained before, focused on the task at hand. They had just begun working on aim with kunai this week, and the pair hadn't gone home before dark since.

"Rei-kun! Ayame-chan! Isn't it time you headed home?" the sensei said in a tone that only a teacher with years of experience with children could acquire. "Your mother has written me complaining of your lack of punctuality." He looked down on them sternly. "Do you know what that means?"

The two shook their heads balefully. "No Iruka-sensei…" they said softly in unison.

"It means that you two have been late for dinner every night this week." The twins looked up to see a reproachful look in their sensei's eyes. "What if it was Tsunade-hokage-sama that wanted you at a certain time? Would you be there when she told you to?" Both of their heads nodded earnestly. "Well then to show Tsunade-hokage-sama, and me, that you can be on time when we need you, you should be on time for dinner." Two pairs of identical eyes grew wide with ideas of being called in on an important mission by the Hokage. "And I'll even mention to Hokage-sama that you two are always on time if you can prove it to me by going home right now and being on time for dinner."

Rei puffed out his chest and nodded sharply, while Ayame stood a little straighter, her face set with a plan. "Come on Onii-san. We only have 10 minutes to make it!" Ayame said as she put away her kunai. Rei nodded and grabbed her hand, leading her away from the supply shed and out the gates. "Bye Iruka-sensei!" they called over their shoulders as the disappeared into the streets of Konoha.

Iruka sat at the missions desk staring at a report that should have been turned in a month ago. His head hung towards his chest. He was going to have to kill Kakashi…again. And after that he would remind all of his students that handing mission reports in on time were the sign of a good shinobi and that Kakashi was not one of them.

A small chuckle escaped his lips as he imagined the shock and horror on the faces of his students as he told them that Sharingan Kakashi, one of Konoha's greatest, was a bad shinobi.

A/N: So? What did you think? You like? You hate? Please tell! Thanks for reading.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Hey there! Reverseharemhime here again. I just wanted to send out a huuuuge thanks to my reviewers, who are the most awesome people in the world.

Evil Kasumi: Thank you for the encouragement! I find that the lives of teachers are often filled with amusing events. Heck, I'm going to college to be a teacher and my life is already full of such things. )

MischeviousPuck: You're right Iruka is sooooo undervalued.As Naruto's "father-figure", we rarely get to see anything from his perspective. I'm glad you enjoyed.

This chapter is dedicated to you guys!

Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to me…otherwise the fillers would never had been put into existence, and Iruka wouldn't be in the show/manga at all because he'd be mine. ;) The only thing I own are my OC's which are rather adorable don't you think?

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It made Iruka feel old. Watching the years go by and his students grow into shinobi that would defend Konoha with their lives. It was hard not to get attached to every child that walked into his classroom. He couldn't help but get involved though. He guessed it was a habit he had first developed with the rookies. Though now they weren't really rookies. Many of them were now chuunin like himself, quickly gaining the necessary training to become jounin. Heck, Neji already outranked him. In all honesty, Iruka felt as though a little piece of himself was within each of those kids. And if any of them died, a part of him would die as well. He remembered pacing anxiously for the final word about the survival of the team that went out to get Sasuke back from Orochimaru's sound shinobi. Choji almost didn't make it. Same for Neji. And the injuries that Naruto sustained after his battle with Sasuke almost broke Iruka's heart.

Emotions are never good for a ninja, one whose entire livelihood is based on the ability to get a job done quickly and silently. That was partially the reason that Iruka refused to take the test for Jounin status. His heart was too big. Too full of happy memories to prevent from laughing at something during a mission. Too full of sad moments that could be used against him out in the field.

Getting up from his seat, Iruka cleaned off his chalkboard, dust particles floating in the golden light and eventually falling to the shadows of the classroom. The teacher smiled softly at the silence that had fallen upon the Academy. The twins had been home on time for a week straight, earning them a visit from Tsunade herself. The two had bragged all day, creating a buzz throughout the school. As soon as classes had ended, every single one of his students ran home, hurrying to be on time. Well, everyone except Konohamaru, who never cared about Tsunade as Hokage, but only had respect for his Nii-san: Naruto. Who he continually claimed to be the sixth Hokage. Iruka agreed with the newly appointed genin. But Naruto wouldn't allow himself to reach for that goal until he brought back Sasuke.

Sasuke. The last Uchiha. Iruka had noted the pain that showed through every motion of the boy's body and every look that he ever cast towards his classmates. Albeit, the boy was a genius, with a pension for quick learning and a hunger for power. It was that hunger that drew him to Orochimaru. The poor boy. Iruka could relate to the raven haired child, since he too had lost his parents at a young age, but Sasuke never wanted anyone else in his life. He never reached out like Naruto did. Well, until the two orphans became genin and were teamed together. It had made Iruka happy that the two had found a friend in each other.

The roads of Konoha were full as usual during the early hours of the evening. Iruka's mind wandered as he automatically walked towards Hokage Tower to get started on his secondary job. Not many of the people that he walked by realized how dire the situation with Sasuke was. They had become rather numb to missing nin, or battles in the streets. To them it was a part of normal, everyday life. But to Iruka, the one who had seen the changes in the Uchiha boy as he got older, trained harder, gained new friendships and softened his heart even slightly…it was as if the town was incomplete. Especially with Naruto gone now. A heavy sigh escaped Iruka's lips. The Konoha Eleven was no longer the Konoha Eleven. They were scattered in different directions, with different goals in mind.

"Iruka-sensei!" a familiar voice broke Iruka from his unconscious meditations. "Iruka-sensei, its been a while. A sweet face framed by short pink hair looked up at him. At least he still had that going for him. Hopefully she would look up at him for a few more years yet.

"Sakura-chan, How are you? How is the training with Tsunade-sama going?" he smiled down at her.

She took a deep breath. "She's really demanding. Scary sometimes too. But I'm learning. And that's all that matters." A determination glittered in her eyes that made Iruka smile all the more.

After working with Tsunade-sama in the missions room for some time now, the scarred chuunin thought the fact that Sakura only thought that the Sannin was scary some of the time was a good sign. Iruka knew the girl was smart, very smart in fact. And her memorization skills were superb, almost to the point that she could call it a jutsu. But the teacher knew better than to discredit her mind that way.

"Well, I'm positive that you make just as good a student as Tsunade-sama makes a teacher." He said, attempting to further encourage the kunoichi.

She wrinkled her nose at him and leaned in closely. "She's not as good a teacher as you Iruka-sensei…" she whispered.

Iruka gave her a wide grin. "Keep that under wraps Sakura-chan, otherwise Hokage-sama will send me out on missions that I don't want to do…" He winked at her. "The Academy has lost enough teachers to you mighty shinobi in training."

Sakura stood straight once again. "Well, Sensei, to make up for it, when we get Naruto and Sasuke back, I'll ask Tsunade-sama if I can come teach at the Academy."

Iruka unconsciously tilted his head at the suggestion, a look of affection entering his eyes. "That would be wonderful Sakura-chan. I'm positive you'll make a great teacher some day. Especially if you have already learned to handle people like your team mates."

A sad smile passed over the young girl's face. "I didn't handle them very well if they're not around any more. So…"

"Now Sakura…you know just as well as I do that once those two get something in their head, there's no stopping them. Even each other. So don't blame yourself. You did something not many in this village did. You stood by them, accepting their faults and using them to the team's advantage. You are one of the best team mates a shinobi could ask for. One with courage, loyalty and hope. I wouldn't worry. They'll be back soon."

The confidant and determined shine returned to Sakura's face. "Thank you Sensei. You always know what to say. You always have." She briefly hugged him before excusing herself to hunt for medicinal plants.

Iruka watched her leap between buildings and over tree limbs with ease. He knew that the village of Konoha would be able to sleep well at night knowing that people like Sakura were protecting it.

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A/N: So, darlings, what did we think? Please Review. It makes my muses happy. Oh and btw: for all Sakura haters, I know she kinda sucked in the beginning…okay maybe really sucked. But hey, she's human….with really cool skills. Ninja skills. Medi-nin skills. Computer Hacking skills…oh wait. Scratch that last one.

I have a question for you all, should I make our little pair of shinobi in training, Rei and Ayame, regulars in this fic or not? Please tell me. I can't decide Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** So, I suppose the vote is in. It looks like our twins are going to be showing up a lot more! does an authoress happy dance Here's the third chapter to the bit of spying we're doing on Iruka-sensei. And no, I don't own anything. Just the OCs .:sigh….pout:.

**To my lovely reviewers:** You guys are awesome…no, marvelous…no, brilliant…no, incredible... .:rambles about the greatness of reviewers:.

By the way, both my brother (Joe) and twin sister reviewed (morixharuhi4ever). So pay no heed to their insanities. (Love you both lots!)

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"No, no Ayame! You're holding the kunai too tightly… "

"Oi! Kenji! Put the third one down! You'll hurt yourself that way…"

"Good shot Rei! If you cut the motion of your wrist in half it will be closer to the bullseye though…"

"Konohamaru…the only reason you need to swing the kunai around your finger is to get it to your hand faster. And if you swing it that hard, it will fall out of your grip completely!"

Iruka watched as Shikamaru instructed Iruka's pre-genin class on the final flourishes of kunai use. Although, it seemed that the Nara boy was mainly keeping the little ones from injuring themselves. Throwing a kunai wasn't just about aim and strength, it was about the fluidity of the wrist and the timing of when it is let go. But at the moment, Iruka wasn't thinking about trajectory patterns or proper binding methods. He was merely taking in the semi-hilarity that was before him. Shikamaru was a good teacher, though a little short on patience. Yet, once his mind was focused, there was nothing anyone could do to prevent the whirlwind of activity in his head. Plus it was interesting to watch someone else do his job.

Pre-genins were not the easiest bunch to work with, despite the claims that they were easily dealt with. Iruka had come to understand that there was nothing more stubborn than a small child with a sharp object. With limited understanding of situations, yet incredible perception of the general surroundings, a pre-genin could quite possibly get whatever they wanted. There was always a risk of injury with such weaponry, and Iruka was well aware of it. He was fully knowledgeable in at least two areas of medic-nin practices. Not only removing splinters, or wrapping cuts, but setting bones and resuscitation. The only thing was…the pre-genins also knew that the last thing that anyone wanted was a child to get hurt. So, by playing with said off-limits object, a little one could confidently ask for dango or ramen in exchange for the weapon. He had gone through it enough times with Naruto, and now he was going through it with Konohamaru. It was slightly more than disconcerting to hear Naruto's words coming out of the Third's grandson's mouth.

In all, Iruka was not surprised that many Academy teachers eventually took on genin teams. And _stayed_ as leaders of genin teams. The chuunin chuckled at the thought of him leaving the Academy. It seemed a little cowardly. However necessary, if it weren't for Iruka's classes, there would be no genin to train. So, Iruka resolved to remain here, in the well-worn, well-loved hall ways and classrooms of the Academy. And to fight the war outside Konoha, by training those who would fight it, within.

Iruka looked at the clock on the wall of the training room. There were five more minutes in the school day, and surprisingly, none of the children had noticed. But Iruka could tell that Shikamaru had been looking at the clock at least once every two minutes. It was finally time to give the boy a break.

"Alright kids! Time to put everything away." Iruka yelled above the din. "And if I find even one kunai missing…" The teacher left the rest of the sentence unsaid, allowing his eyes say the rest as he let his gaze fall on each student one by one. They all knew what would happen. And it wasn't pretty. The now subdued pre-genins quickly put their weapons away and filed into line to go back to the classroom. Iruka could hear Shikamaru's usual mutterings and sighs. The boy hadn't changed much from his own pre-genin days.

"Okay…" Shikamaru sighed. "Let's go back upstairs. In fact let's make this a pop quiz. Whoever can get up there the fastest and quietest without using a jutsu will get an exemption from the test tomorrow."

Each child immediately took their stances and prepared to run for it. Shikamaru cued them with a flick of his hand. Iruka knew that the signal wouldn't be large since the boy was known for doing as little as possible. But another thing registered in the sensei's mind. Shikamaru had changed since his pre-genin days. Quite a bit actually. His actions were no longer just for him. The boy, no…young man, took in everything in his surroundings as usual. But he did so not for himself, but those around him. Like the little ones that clamored for his attention. As the smoke cleared from Shikamaru's transportation jutsu, Iruka smiled at the new revelations about his former student. Quietly, in the back of his mind, he reminded himself to thank Asuma for putting a little life in the young man. It had continually irritated Iruka to watch Shikamaru-kun fail the same courses over and over again due to his lack of motivation.

Despite the gap in years, Shikamaru was now the same rank as Iruka. The smile on the tanned chuunin's face widened. Iruka realized that Shikamaru was now officially a potential target for his occasional pranks. A small chuckle could be heard in the training room even as the smoke from Iruka's own transportation jutsu dissipated.

The classroom was full of children quietly gathering their things and preparing to leave. Iruka arched an eyebrow at his assistant in question. Shikamaru shrugged as the bell rang and the little ones ran out the sliding door towards home.

"Shikamaru-san. What was that all about?" Iruka asked still slightly confused. It wasn't everyday that all of his students were silent for a long period of time.

The Nara clansman noted the change in honorific and set the wheels in his mind to work as to why. "Well, Iruka-_sensei_, I think it was because they were surprised at who won."

"Who won exactly?" Ignoring the sensei part of Shikamaru's sentence.

"Yoshima Miranai. With the twins coming in second."

Iruka smirked at the answer. "Little Miranai, huh? I thought so." Shikamaru "hnn"ed at him. "Well, you see. Miranai comes from a family known for their speed. The Yoshima clan. A lot of ANBU in that particular family. You probably don't know about them. Seeing as how none of their clan members were in your age group. Miranai is the first Yoshima descendant in about fifteen years." Iruka sighed. " I guess Tachi decided to finally settle down. The man always was somewhat of a lone wolf though…" Iruka mused. He continued after seeing more questions in Shikamaru's eyes. "The women in the family have always been stronger though. So it's not surprising that she won. Despite how small she is."

Shikamaru shrugged and muttered a "whatever" under his breath, though Iruka could tell the young man was clearly surprised. "And the twins?" he asked nonchalantly.

Iruka thought about Rei and Ayame for a moment. Two identical faces with violet eyes framed by wavy auburn hair. Though Rei's hair was a bit shorter than Ayame's. And Ayame had a smile on her face more often than her brother. They were from a family of shinobi who managed relations between non-shinobi villagers and the ninja around them. They were pretty much damage control. It was their job to assure the villagers of their safety and to make them aware of impending danger.

" The Sendatsu twins know patterns. People patterns at least. They have been taught to predict the pathways that people will take to get to a certain point and get there before them to control the situation. To better understand said patterns, they study the flight patterns of birds at this age. Now that I think about it, we have always had a member of the Sendatsu clan help with the training of our messenger birds."

Shikamaru nodded. "Makes sense."

Iruka looked at the papers on his desk, mentally taking note of what he had left to do. There wasn't much. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the coupon for a two-for-one special at Ichiraku's Ramen Stand stuck in the pages of his grade book. It triggered something in his memory.

"Oh no! I forgot! I told the twins I would treat them to ramen for their help in cleaning the classroom yesterday!" Iruka smacked himself on the forehead. "They're probably waiting outside for me!" The sensei gathered up his things hurriedly and started to head out the door. "Shikamaru-san, would you be so kind as to clean the chalkboard for me?" His answer came in the form of a nod and a grunt. "Oh, and Shikamaru-san…you don't have to call me sensei anymore. You're a chuunin now. We're the same rank. Iruka-san will do just fine."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "You'll always be Iruka-sensei. And would you stop with the "-san", please. Shikamaru is good."

Iruka scratched his nose, unconsciously rubbing his scar. "If you say so, Shikamaru-sa-." He stopped himself and waved good bye. He thought he heard a "Ja'ne Iruka-sensei" as he exited the building. His usual soft smile graced his face once again. The twins were waiting for him on the swing that hung from the tree in the courtyard.

"So sorry to keep you waiting!" Iruka said as he walked up to them.

The two little ones smiled up at him, wordlessly forgiving him as they took his hands, one on either side and lead him out the gates. As they were walking, he noticed that Rei had put his hair up in a ponytail, much like Shikamaru's. He inwardly chuckled at it. Shikamaru was a good person for a pre-genin to want to emulate. The scarred chuunin thoroughly approved.

As they sat down and ordered, Iruka in the middle, Ayame looked up at him innocently. "Iruka-sensei?" her little voice reached his ears amidst the ceaseless chatter of her brother.

"Yes Ayame-chan?"

"Ano…would i-it…uhh… be p-possible for you to…to..." she took a gulp and a deep breath. "Would it be possible for you to wear your hair down sometimes, because Rei wants to wear his hair like you, but mama doesn't like it when he has it up. She says it reminds her of her brother. And he doesn't like mama that much and...and ...it would be really helpful if you wore it down sometimes." The entire speech came out at the speed of light, but Iruka's trained ears caught every word.

"Rei-kun wants to wear his hair like mine?"Iruka asked. Ayame nodded. "Why?"

The little shinobi in training stood up on her stool and leaned in to whisper in his ear. "Because you're his hero, Iruka-sensei. He wants to be like you someday."

Iruka was speechless. He would have never imagined. But his moment of awe was broken by an outburst from Rei.

"Ayame! Stop saying naughty things to Iruka-sensei! You're making his face go all red!" Rei pointed at his sister. "I'm telling mama you have a crush on Iruka-sensei!"

The little girl blushed furiously, her eyes wide with shock. "Do not!"

And so began a typical fight between siblings. Though it baffled the teacher that it was about him. This alone made Iruka flush with color all the more. Life was interesting even without Naruto around…

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**A/N:** Alrighty darlings! We finally got to know a bit more about our lovely twins. Don't you think that a village with both ninja and non-ninja inhabitants would have to have some type of public relations? Especially now that the Uchiha police force is no longer around… BTW: Sendatsu is a Japanese word for guide. I thought it was appropriate. And we have introduced another little one that might pop up every so often. We'll have to see. So, shall you review for me and let me know what you think? Because that would rock my world. Hope you enjoyed and Thanks for Reading!


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